Mangaluru (PTI): Karnataka Legislative Assembly Speaker U T Khader on Sunday finished fourth in a dirt track racing event organised by the Indian Motor Sports Club here.

Driving a Volkswagen Polo GT, Khader narrowly missed a podium finish, ending just seconds behind the third-place finisher.

An avid motorsport enthusiast since his college days, Khader has participated in several racing events involving both motorcycles and cars.

Organisers said his performance on the dirt track was consistent with his previous racing record.

Speaking informally after the event, Khader said he continues to follow motorsport and enjoys driving, describing the experience as a "refreshing change" from his official responsibilities.

The Dirt Prix event saw participation from multiple racers and was aimed at promoting grassroots motorsport.

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Thrissur (Kerala) (PTI): One more person who had been hospitalised following the Mundathikode fireworks explosion died at Thrissur Medical College on Sunday, police said.

With this, the death toll in the incident has risen to 16.

According to Thrissur Medical College police, the deceased has been identified as Unnikrishnan from Edappal, who was among the 38 persons present at the fireworks manufacturing unit in Mundathikode where the explosions occurred on April 21.

Police said Unnikrishnan had suffered over 80 per cent burns and had remained in critical condition.

The condition of the two other injured persons remains critical, police said.

Of the 38 persons present at the site, 16 have died, while four remain missing.

The fireworks were being manufactured for Thiruvambady Devaswom as part of the Thrissur Pooram festivities.

The licensee of the unit had also suffered burn injuries and had died earlier.